Rice vinegar for sushi is an indispensable component of Japanese cuisine: it is thanks to it that sushi and rolls acquire their unique aroma. Invented in ancient China, this seasoning after some time became widespread in the countries of the East. For 12 centuries, rice vinegar appeared only on the tables of the most distinguished persons, because it was a very expensive product.
Nowadays, its production technology has been significantly simplified, which has made rice vinegar a very affordable and popular product in Chinese and Japanese cuisine.
Initially, rice vinegar was used exclusively as a marinade for cooking fish, because thanks to its antibacterial effect on the human body, it was possible to protect consumers from helminths and pathogens of dangerous infections contained in raw fish.
In addition, rice vinegar is used:
- as a flavoring agent for rice;
- to give the cereal plastic properties: it is under its influence that the rice becomes more sticky and holds its shape well;
- for dressing all kinds of salads and fish and poultry dishes.
Types of vinegar for sushi
There are two types of rice vinegar: Chinese And Japanese. Chinese rice vinegar has a slightly stronger pungency and slight sourness. The Japanese product has a barely pronounced sweetish taste.
When preparing rolls and sushi, it is better to choose the Japanese variety of vinegar, since the Chinese version can cause disharmony by interrupting the delicate taste of the sushi.
How to replace vinegar for sushi
Apple cider vinegar
If you are unable to find rice vinegar in the store, you can buy wine, apple or regular (6%) dining room vinegar. But in this case, it should be used very carefully: unlike rice vinegar, which has a special mild taste, table varieties of vinegar, taken in excessive quantities, can ruin delicious sushi and rolls.
To avoid mistakes and make a complete substitute for rice vinegar, you can use one of the recipes below:
- Mix grape vinegar (4 tablespoons), sugar (3 teaspoons) and salt (1 teaspoon). Place the container over low heat and heat the mixture until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. It is strictly forbidden to bring it to a boil.
- Take apple cider vinegar (1 tablespoon), sugar (1 teaspoon), salt (1/2 teaspoon) and hot water (1.5 tablespoons). Stir all ingredients until salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
- You can prepare a mixture of 50 ml of regular 6% table vinegar (white wine or apple cider vinegar will also work), 20 g of sugar and 50 ml of soy sauce. The sugar must be completely dissolved, so the ingredients must be heated and mixed thoroughly.
Vinegar prepared in this way is in no way inferior to rice vinegar, you just need to add it in smaller quantities.
Instead of rice vinegar for soaking rice(boiled for sushi) you can use lemon juice, diluted with water with the addition of a drop of sugar. This dressing option is as close as possible to the taste of real rice vinegar, so lovers of homemade rolls should take note of this recipe.
How to make sushi vinegar
We offer Far Eastern sushi vinegar recipe, which was proposed by Japanese chefs working in Kamchatka in the early 90s.Ingredients:
- Rice vinegar – 450 ml.
- Granulated sugar – 300 g.
- Salt – 80 g.
- Mirin sauce – 50 ml.
- Adinomoto (Japanese flavor enhancer) – 5 g.
- Seaweed leaves (kelp) – 5 g.
You should get approximately 870 ml of finished product.
Preparation:
All components of the future sauce are placed in a deep container and placed on low heat, stirring constantly and continuously to prevent the granulated sugar from burning. Heat the mixture only until there is no residue dissolve salt and sugar. Do not bring it to a boil!
The product can be considered ready if the salt and sugar have dissolved and the liquid became completely transparent. At the very end of cooking, you need to add kelp leaves: during the infusion process, it will give the sauce the necessary rich taste.
The minimum time for infusing sushi sauce is at least 60 minutes. After this, it can be used for cooking.
The sauce prepared according to this recipe does not have an expiration date. You can store it at room temperature, which will save you from the mistake made by inexperienced cooks who pour cold sauce over hot rice that was in the refrigerator.
Making rice vinegar at home
Do you want to make your own rice vinegar? This is not difficult to do.
Ingredients:
- Apple cider vinegar (for rolls) – 2 tablespoons.
- Sugar – 1.5 tablespoons.
- Japanese (round) rice - 2 tablespoons.
- Salt – ½ teaspoon.
Preparation:
Mix vinegar, salt and sugar until completely dissolved. Rinse a flat ceramic (or wooden) plate with cold water and place already boiled rice on it. Pour the mixture over the rice and add a small amount of boiling water.
Gently stir the rice without crushing it using a wooden spatula. Cool the rice to 20 degrees, and then transfer it to a special container with a lid (nabe). Process natural fermentation will take two to three weeks. Ready-made vinegar can be used to prepare sushi, rolls, and salad dressings.
Japanese cuisine is firmly rooted not only in its homeland, but also in almost all countries of the world. It is difficult to find a person who has never tried sushi or rolls. If you want to prepare them yourself, then we will tell you how to replace rice vinegar for sushi. As always, all manipulations are carried out at home. Let's get started!
Homemade Rice Vinegar – Recipe
- powdered yeast (dry) - 8 gr.
- granulated sugar - 0.9 kg.
- Round grain rice - 0.3 kg.
- filtered water - 1.2 l.
1. Rinse the rice grains under the tap several times. Pour into a jar and add water. Set the container aside and keep warm for about 5 hours. After this period, place in the refrigerator for 4 days.
2. When the set time for infusion has expired, line the colander with gauze and filter the rice. You only need liquid. Pour granulated sugar into it.
3. Place the pan with the solution in a water bath, cook for half an hour until the grains of sand dissolve. Then remove from heat, let cool completely and pour into a jar.
4. Activate the yeast with water, following the instructions on the package. Place them in a container with the solution. Wrap the neck of the dish with several layers of gauze and leave at room temperature for a month.
5. After this period, filter the vinegar several times. Boil again, cool and enjoy the work done. This volume will last for a long time.
Now you know what you can use to replace rice vinegar in rolls. After all, it can be done at home. But if you don’t want to bother, let’s consider simpler recipes.
Rice Vinegar Alternative
The above recipe is long, so let’s look at options that can be used right away. So, what else can you substitute for rice vinegar for sushi? When preparing at home, you may need regular vinegar, grape or apple.
No. 1. Grape vinegar (red)
Otherwise, this product is called wine. It should not be used by those who have increased stomach acidity or are individually intolerant to grapes. Some people replace vinegar with old red wine.
So, to prepare the composition, mix 12 g. salt, 40 gr. granulated sugar, 100 ml. vinegar. Transfer the contents to a saucepan, heat and melt the sugar and salt. Do not let it boil. Once all the granules have dissolved, your rice vinegar alternative is ready.
No. 2. Apple cider vinegar
Combine 7 g in a heat-resistant container. salt, 18 gr. granulated sugar, 30 ml. water, 30 ml. vinegar. Place on the stove and simmer over low heat until the crystals dissolve.
No. 3. Grape vinegar (white)
If you don’t know what to replace rice vinegar with, an excellent alternative for sushi would be to make your own at home.
Mix 75 ml in a common cup. white wine vinegar, 30 gr. granulated sugar and 70 ml. soy sauce. Heat the components until the crystals are completely dissolved.
It is not necessary to use only rice vinegar when preparing sushi or rolls. Alternatively, there are many recipes. Now you know what to replace it with in rolls.
No. 4. Lemon juice
Lemon juice is considered an excellent soaking option for rice. If the sauce is prepared correctly, the final taste of the dish will be indistinguishable.
Mix 60 ml. boiled, not hot water, 12 gr. granulated sugar, 55 ml. warm lemon juice and 4 gr. salt. Stir the ingredients over low heat until the crystals are completely dissolved. Under no circumstances should the sauce boil.
One of the national Japanese delicacies is sushi, which has been eaten for many centuries. Today they are becoming increasingly popular in the West. This delicious dish contains very few calories and is quite rich in vitamins, protein and carbohydrates. Sushi is made from various types of fillings, cut into small pieces and served beautifully arranged on a plate. The name “sushi” itself comes from the words “SU” - “vinegar”, “SHI” - “skill of the hands”.
The main ingredient of sushi and its derivatives is special rice. The choice of fillings is simply huge and is not limited only to fish. But it’s vinegar for sushi ( sushi-su, su, sushinomoto), is without a doubt considered the most important spice in the process of preparing this dish. is an important addition to all Asian cuisine. It is used not only for sushi, but also for marinating meat and fish, as well as for preparing offal.
Sushi tsu or sushi vinegar is created by mixing one or more rice liquids with other seasonings. Professional chefs make it themselves, creating a product that is unsurpassed in taste and smell. You can also purchase this type of otset in specialized stores. Although light in taste, it is not recommended for use as a substitute. White ocet is also not suitable because it has too strong an aroma that can overpower the dominant flavor of the sushi. According to gourmets, rice vinegar is softer and not as sour as apple or wine vinegar. In addition, it perfectly stimulates the appetite.
Typically, sushi vinegar is made from fermented rice, corn or wheat. Another variation of this seasoning is to mix rice vinegar, wheat, fermented and corn. By the way, rice vinegar for sushi is made from fermented rice and sour wine. More water is added. This ocet is the most famous Japanese product.
Depending on the type of rice, vinegar may be white or red in color. It is sometimes flavored with soy sauce, ginger, dried mackerel flakes, sesame seeds, onions, horseradish, hot peppers or mustard. There is also black vinegar, which is made from wheat, sorghum and millet. Salt, both table salt and sea salt, is always included in the spice recipe. Sugar is added to sweeten the liquid, but it is more typical to use sweet rice wine or mirin as a sweetener. Sake - another type is also added to sushi vinegar, as well as seaweed. If additional flavorings are included in the composition, the vinegar should be simmered over low heat, where the ingredients are gradually added. If seaweed is not used, all vinegar ingredients are mixed and heated so that any alcohol evaporates during the heating process. Like all typical additives, sushi vinegar tends to taste better if prepared a few days before use. When preparing sushi, ocet is added directly to the rice while it is still hot. Then it is mixed and spice is added again to prevent sticking.
It is worth noting that sushi vinegar can be of different types: Mitsukan - a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt, Kikkoman - ready-made spicy otset and Sushinokopulver - a mixture of otset, sugar and salt in powder form.
To prepare vinegar for sushi, the recipe for which is quite simple, you will need ¼ cup of rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon, which can be replaced with regular table spoon. Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and dissolve over low heat, stirring constantly. Without bringing the mixture to a boil, cool it to room temperature. During the cooking process, be careful with the sugar so as not to burn it and spoil the taste of the ocet.
Traditional dishes of Japanese cuisine appeared on our tables not so long ago, but in such a short time they managed to fall in love with many. Some people prefer to visit restaurants, immersing themselves in the atmosphere of Japanese traditions, while others like to prepare sushi and rolls themselves in their kitchen.
An indispensable component of these overseas dishes is rice vinegar. Sometimes it is difficult to find it in the nearest supermarket due to its high cost, but this is not a reason to refuse dinner. This ingredient is very easy to prepare yourself or replace with other products.
Rice vinegar is used to prepare all kinds of sauces and dressings, for vegetable and fish dishes. This unique product with a piquant sourness and light aroma not only gives dishes an incredible taste, but also replenishes the reserve of important amino acids, improves digestion and alkalizes the body.
How to replace rice vinegar: recipes from available products
The specific flavor notes of rice vinegar can be replaced with other vinegars and seasonings if desired. If you try really hard, even gourmets won’t be able to notice the substitution. In addition, wine, apple and other vinegars are more budget-friendly ingredients.
Grape vinegar dressing
- Combine sugar (6 tbsp), salt (2 tsp), red grape vinegar (8 tbsp).
- Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and place over low heat.
- Heat and stir the solution until all ingredients are dissolved.
- Do not bring the liquid to a boil under any circumstances.
- Cool and use as rice vinegar.
Note! Grape vinegar often causes allergic reactions and stomach irritation, so if you are prone to food allergies and high stomach acidity, it is better to use other alternative substitutes.
Apple Cider Vinegar Seasoning
- You will need hot water (3 tbsp), sugar (2 tsp), salt (1 tsp), apple cider vinegar (2 tbsp).
- Combine all ingredients in a glass and stir them thoroughly.
- Once the salt and sugar have completely dissolved, the vinegar will be ready for use.
Dressing based on soy sauce and table vinegar
- Take 25 mg table vinegar (6%), 25 g soy sauce and 10 g sugar.
- Dissolve the ingredients and add to the dish instead of rice vinegar.
Lemon juice dressing
- Pour warm water (4 tbsp), lemon juice (4 tbsp), sugar (2 tsp), salt (1 tsp) into any container.
- Mix the ingredients until a homogeneous liquid is obtained.
- If the salt does not dissolve well, the mixture can be slightly heated on a gas stove.
Dressing with nori seaweed
- Take two sheets of nori and grind them with a blender until you have a powder.
- Mix 5 tbsp. l. any vinegar you have with 1 tsp. salt and 5 tbsp. l. Sahara.
- Heat the mixture until completely dissolved.
- Add nori to the resulting dressing and stir everything well.
Important! Only nori seaweed is suitable for this dressing; kelp will give the food a bitter aftertaste.
Homemade rice vinegar
If you love Japanese cuisine so much that you often start making sushi yourself, you shouldn’t spoil the uniqueness of the recipes with substitutes for rice vinegar. It’s quite easy to prepare, and the cost will be much less than the store-bought version.
To prepare vinegar you will need the following ingredients:
- 200-250 g short grain rice
- 250 mg boiled water
- 1/3 tsp. dry yeast
- 100 g sugar (4 tbsp)
Cooking steps:
- Place the rice in a glass bowl or tray.
- Add water to the rice and let this mixture sit for about 4 hours.
- Then place the bowl of rice in the refrigerator for 12 hours, preferably overnight.
- In the morning, place the rice in a sieve lined with a clean cloth and remove the liquid. You should have exactly 250 mg. If it turns out less, bring the volume of liquid to the original amount.
- Place the rice infusion in a water bath, add sugar to it.
- When the water under the rice syrup boils, set it aside for 20 minutes and then remove it from the heat.
- Cool the rice water, pour it into a glass jar and add yeast to it.
- Cover the jar with gauze and leave the rice syrup for a week to allow the fermentation process to take place.
- After bubbles stop appearing on the surface, leave the syrup for another 25-30 days.
- After this time, strain the rice syrup and boil.
- After cooling, you will get natural rice vinegar.
Note! The syrup usually turns out a little cloudy, but this is easy to fix. While boiling, add the beaten egg white to the syrup, then strain the liquid again.
What should not be substituted for rice vinegar or how not to spoil sushi?
Experienced sushi chefs strongly do not recommend using balsamic vinegar as a substitute. Its recipe involves the use of herbs, which can distort the taste of rice and dishes made from it. As a result, instead of light sourness, you get a bouquet of herbs.
Also, you should not use 9% table vinegar to prepare substitutes for rice vinegar. This will add excess acidity and a strong acetic acid flavor to the dish.
Most people are skeptical about rice vinegar substitutes, believing that they spoil the taste of sushi. But sushi experts refute this point of view. Skillful preparation of rice vinegar analogues and their correct use will give your dishes a real taste of Japanese cuisine.
Japanese cuisine is very popular these days. Having lunch or dinner with sushi or rolls has become the order of the day. There is a joke that making sushi at home is not only a fun activity, but also “budget-saving” and “health-saving”, so let’s pay a little attention to an important component when making sushi - dressing for rice, rolls and sushi.
Why do you need rice dressing? It gives sushi not only the necessary taste, but also increases the stickiness, so it will not fall apart.
Since no salt is added to rice during cooking, rice dressing for sushi contains both salt and sugar. Vinegar plays the main role in seasoning rice. Rice vinegar can be found in specialized departments of stores where they sell other sushi ingredients. But what should you do if you still couldn’t buy rice vinegar? What can replace it?
Rice vinegar is usually replaced with white wine vinegar, grape vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or, at worst, table vinegar. Here you need to choose the right proportions so as not to spoil the taste of the rice.
You can try ready-made recipes and then adjust the amount of ingredients to taste.
Rice Vinegar Dressing Recipe
Ingredients:
- rice vinegar – 100 ml;
- sugar – 3 teaspoons;
- salt – 1 teaspoon.
Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe
Ingredients:
- apple cider vinegar – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- water – 3 tbsp. spoons;
- sugar – 2 teaspoons
- salt – 1 teaspoon.
Recipe with grape vinegar
Ingredients:
- grape vinegar - 4 tbsp. spoons;
- sugar – 3 teaspoons;
- salt – 1 teaspoon.
Recipe with table vinegar
Ingredients:
- table vinegar 6% - 50 ml;
- soy sauce – 50 ml;
- sugar – 20 g.
Preparation
Boil everything and stir until completely dissolved. Add to rice while warm. And if you have prepared the dressing for future use, store it in the refrigerator and reheat it before use.
Rice vinegar recipe
You can make your own rice vinegar if you wish. If you have time and desire.
Ingredients:
- sugar;
- yeast;
- egg white.
Preparation
Pour water over the rice and leave to steep overnight. The next day we decant the water and add about 
180 g sugar. Place the dishes in a water bath and stir until the sugar dissolves, cook for about twenty minutes. Cool, pour into a jar and add a quarter tablespoon of yeast per liter of liquid. The fermentation process will take about a week. When the bubbles disappear completely, pour into a clean jar. We insist for a month.
After a month, strain the mixture. Boil with beaten raw egg white (for cleaning), and strain again.
This is such a long way, but real homemade rice vinegar will always be at your service.
With this dressing you can prepare both classic and more complex ones.
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